Dave Roberts: Allegations Against Me are Offensive07/06/2015San Diego County Supervisor Dave Roberts defended himself Thursday against allegations he misused his office. -- Roberts has been in the spotlight in recent weeks since three former staffers said he mistreated employees, politicized his office and had an inappropriate relationship with his driver. -- "I hold my staff and myself to the highest ethical standards," Roberts told KPBS Midday Edition. "My mistake was two bad job hires." (From KPBS)

Edward Snowden: OpEd in NY Times06/12/2015By Edward Snowden - "In a single month, the N.S.A.’s invasive call-tracking program was declared unlawful by the courts and disowned by Congress. After a White House-appointed oversight board investigation found that this program had not stopped a single terrorist attack, even the president who once defended its propriety and criticized its disclosure has now ordered it terminated."

EPA Study Says Fracking Pollutes Drinking Water06/12/2015In 2010, Congress commissioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study the impact of fracking on drinking water. The U.S. EPA released its long-awaited final draft version of its report June 4, 2015, assessing how fracking for oil and gas can impact access to safe drinking water.

News that did not make our deadline:

Russia Invites Greece to Join BRICS Bank05/20/2015Greece has been invited by Russia to become the sixth member of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB). The $100 billion NDB is expected to compete with Western dominance and become one of the key lending institutions. -- he new bank is expected to challenge the two major Western-led institutions, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It will finance infrastructure projects in the BRICS countries and across other developing countries and is expected to start functioning by the end of 2015, with the headquarters in Shanghai.

Drought will be far more disastrous for Arizona05/20/2015Yes, the Drought Is Bad in California. It's Going to Be Much, Much Worse in Arizona. -- Phoenix is already the 6th largest city in the U.S. (much larger than San Diego), so where will a million people go when they are forced to leave Arizona? And Arizona has no ocean water for desalinization.

Hawaii Goes Green -- Totally05/19/2015The Hawaii legislature has just passed a bill by an overwhelming margin that sets a goal of 100% renewable energy in the state by 2045. The new law requires that the state get a third of its electricity from renewables by 2020, only five years from now. Electricity in Hawaii is expensive, about 34 cents a kilowatt hour for residences [12 cents on mainland], since unlike most states it depends on petroleum as the fuel.

Big oil, Big AG exempt from water restrictions ??05/18/2015Almond farms alone consume 10% of the state's water, or as much as the entire city of Los Angeles. -- California’s oil and gas industry uses more than 2 million gallons of fresh water a day to produce oil through fracking, acidizing, and steam injections, according to environmental estimates. In 2014, California oil producers used up nearly 70 million gallons of water on fracking alone (From SAN DIEGO FREE PRESS

Sen. Dems Knock Down Obama's Trade Bill05/18/2015Senate Democrats Knock Down Obama's Trade Bill -- Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders dealt a stinging blow to President Barack Obama Tuesday by blocking legislation that would grant him authority to fast-track international trade deals. Obama's rejection at the hands of his own party follows his bitter public feud with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) over his trade agenda.

Tribune Publishing to buy U-T San Diego for $85M05/18/2015Tribune Publishing to buy U-T San Diego for $85 million. Tribune Publishing [owner of LA TIMES] will not take possession of any real estate assets in the deal, which is expected to close this quarter. The nearly 147-year-old newspaper, formerly known as the San Diego Union-Tribune, has been for sale since summer, according to reports. The current owner, San Diego real estate developer Doug Manchester, purchased U-T San Diego for a reported $110 million in November 2011. "San Diego Union-Tribune will retain editorial independence, providing an authentic voice that reflects the diversity of the state and the distinct values of our communities,"

Gregory Cyn Landfill rearing its Ugly Head Again05/17/2015From Shasta C. Gaughen, -- "It has been quite some time since I’ve had any news to report on our fight against the Gregory Canyon landfill. For well over a year now, there has been virtually no visible activity by the people behind the dump. -- [The investors] says they’ll have a 'big announcement' in June. Remember, this is the same woman who's been saying 'We’ll be open in 12 months' for 20 years! --The dump people are working with the Army Corps of Engineers again, trying to restart the permitting process. They are beginning to work on their environmental documents again and have had meetings with Corps staff.

Tesla Battery factory: $100billion boost for Nev.05/17/2015The new Tesla Motors factory being built outside Sparks, Nev., was already on tap to produce 500,000 electric car batteries and become the largest battery factory in the world. Revolutionary new battery will reshape consumer power source.

Sabotage Conviction Vacated for Anti-Nuclear Nun05/13/2015Convicion vacated for Anti-Nuclear Nun and Army vet activists - 85-year-old nun Meagan Rice was originally sentenced to 35 months' -- Transform Now Plowshares. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last Friday that the government failed to prove that the activists, who are part of the pacifist anti-nuclear group, intended to "injure the national defense," which is required under the Sabotage Act. -- "Such a conclusion is a huge victory for activists, because it means the government cannot stand in court and equate an act of protest with sabotage without evidence of motive."

EPA Study Says Fracking Pollutes Drinking Water05/12/2015In 2010, Congress commissioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study the impact of fracking on drinking water. The U.S. EPA released its long-awaited final draft version of its report June 4, 2015, assessing how fracking for oil and gas can impact access to safe drinking water.

EPA Study Says Fracking Pollutes Drinking Water05/12/2015In 2010, Congress commissioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study the impact of fracking on drinking water. The U.S. EPA released its long-awaited final draft version of its report June 4, 2015, assessing how fracking for oil and gas can impact access to safe drinking water.

Wild Gold rush sparked by Tesla's new battery05/11/2015Bloomberg Business: "Tesla's Battery Grabbed $800 Million in Its First Week -- We did the math on the early reservations for Elon Musk's new batteries" -- Tesla is already building a 5-million-square-foot battery factory in Sparks, Nevada. It's not big enough. In the first few days of reservations since the battery announcement on April 30, Tesla took orders worth roughly $800 million in potential revenue, according to figures compiled by Bloomberg Business.

News that did not make our deadline:

LAPD Shot Homeless Man to Death (video)04/15/2015LAPD Caught On Video Shooting Homeless Man To Death -- Los Angeles police fatally shot a homeless man on Sunday in a disturbing encounter that was caught on video. According to the Los Angeles Times, the man, whom witnesses called "Africa," was pronounced dead at the hospital. -- Captured on video and uploaded to Facebook. (HUFFINGTON POST).